


awake

by amybri2002



Series: febuwhump 2021 [6]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Cuddles, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Insomnia, i’m being nice for once :)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-18 10:28:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29242101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amybri2002/pseuds/amybri2002
Summary: Roman has been having trouble getting to sleep, but Patton is there to help.
Relationships: Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Morality | Patton Sanders
Series: febuwhump 2021 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2138040
Comments: 5
Kudos: 32





	awake

**Author's Note:**

> hey look at me, i’m actually bein sorta nice to the boys for once!!!   
> day six’s prompt was ‘insomnia’ and i believe this is the first one i’ve posted with an actually happy ending :) hope y’all enjoy~

Roman hadn’t slept for… roughly three days now, he was fairly certain. Perhaps longer - time worked differently in the Imagination, though whether it was shorter or longer was always a mystery to Roman. But it had  _ felt  _ like three days, so… that was what he was going for. 

He still didn’t feel sleepy. He hadn’t felt sleepy for a while, and whilst he had been able to take even just half an hour naps in the past few weeks, the last few days? Nope, not even a wink. He’d tried everything - usually going on a big mission made him sleepy, enough for him to pass out for sometimes days at a time, though… he’d taken on five quests over the past three days, and they’d all only succeeded in making him sloppy, worsen his fighting techniques as he body  _ needed  _ rest but he just  _ couldn’t get it _ . 

For the last couple of hours, Roman had decided to try a different technique - calming activities. He sat down on the edge of a cliff, watching the sunset over his kingdom, sketching out the scene onto a sketchpad in his lap. The strokes of his pencil were soothing, as was the image in front of him, the sun setting over the rolling hills, the light reflected off the golden palace in the background. Usually watching the sunset would make him feel even a  _ little  _ bit sleepy, but now? It just made him feel restless. Like he had to go… do something, fight something? No, fighting something was a bad idea, he’d only end up hurting himself at this point, he knew that, he… 

Maybe he should just go back, try to sleep in his room again, or even just go back to regular life around the mindscape. He could cover up the dark circles under his eyes with makeup, he could put on a cheery attitude, people wouldn’t even notice that he was any different. 

Roman stood up, stumbling a little, feeling blood rush to his head - was he dizzy? Why was he dizzy? Whatever, after a moment, he regained his balance, and began to walk back towards the exit of the Imagination, to the door leading to his side of the mindscape. He wasn’t sure what time it would even be out there - what if people saw him the moment he returned? God, he hoped not, he didn’t want anyone to see him in this state… 

When he arrived back, it was the middle of the night. Good. That meant no one had to see him. 

...he didn’t have the energy to go back to his room, though. Roman ended up crashing down on the sofa, body exhausted but mind still racing, trying his hardest to close his eyes but they just  _ wouldn’t _ . Oh well. If he was awake anyway, then… maybe he could get some work done, or something. He got his sketchbook back out, starting to draw again, lines shaky, uneven, drawings not exactly up to his standards either, but… it was something. 

He heard movement in the kitchen, and immediately tensed. He’d just zoned out, getting into drawing, and then the  _ light  _ turned on as well, and- 

“Kiddo?” a voice said across the room, sounding concerned. Roman blinked, looking over to see Patton, just leaving the kitchen. “What are you doing awake?” A pause. “Where have you even been? We haven’t seen you in, like, a week…” 

“Hey, Padre,” Roman greeted, cringing at how hoarse his voice sounded. Christ, had he really been gone a week? That… didn’t sound right, but again, time worked differently in the Imagination. He supposed the days had seemed rather long. “Sorry, uh… lost track of time, just got back here. Don’t worry about me.” 

“It’s the middle of the night, Roman, you should be sleeping,” Patton said, approaching him and sitting down on the couch besides him. 

“So should you,” Roman argued. “Why are  _ you  _ awake?” He sounded defensive. Too defensive, Patton was going to realise that something was up, fuck- 

“I was just grabbing a glass of water,” Patton calmly explained. “Why are you awake?” 

Roman was silent for a moment, thinking - if he told the truth, Patton would just worry. He didn’t want Patton, of all people, to worry. “Like I told you, I just got back. I was gonna go up to bed in a few minutes, don’t worry.” 

Patton tilted his head, glancing down at Roman’s lap. “You’ve been drawing something.” Roman audibly sighed, and immediately regretted it. “Something’s wrong. What’s wrong?” 

“Nothing’s  _ wrong _ .” Something was definitely wrong, just based on how Roman’s voice cracked. Patton would definitely pick up on that. 

“Kiddo, I… Tell me the truth, why aren’t you sleeping right now? Really?” 

Roman closed his eyes, sighing. Was there no getting out of this? Couldn’t he just… 

“I can’t sleep,” Roman told him. There wasn’t anyway he was getting out of this, and… who knows, maybe Patton could help. “Haven’t been able to for… a while, now.” 

Patton frowned, shuffling closer to Roman. “Roman, when was the last time that you slept?” 

“Uh… I had a nap just before going into the Imagination?” 

Patton’s face fell. “Roman, you were in there for a  _ week _ -“ 

“In my defence, it only felt like three days-“ 

“ _ That isn’t any better. _ ” 

“Pat, really, it’s fine, I’m not even tired-“ 

Before Roman knew it, Patton had wrapped his arms around Roman, pulling him close. Roman almost froze up at the contact, at Patton’s warmth, at the  _ safety  _ he felt in his arms, but… slowly relaxed into it, letting out a shuddering breath. He shouldn’t react that way to a hug - Christ, he was really out of it. 

“We’re getting you some sleep,” Patton decided. “We’re not moving until you fall asleep, okay?” 

Roman blinked. “I- I mean, we might be here forever then. Really, I’m not even-“ 

“You  _ are  _ tired, Roman.” Patton paused, frowning. “You’re  _ shaking _ .” 

Was he? He didn’t feel like he was… Why would he be shaking? 

Patton was warm. Warm enough that, very slowly, Roman began to feel just a little drowsy. Huh, he’d almost forgotten what that had felt like. 

“Go to sleep,” Patton murmured, beginning to gently rock Roman back and forth. Roman leaned closer to Patton, resting his head on his chest, closing his eyes. He… still found it difficult to get to sleep, but between Patton’s warmth, rocking, and the quiet lullaby he began to hum, Roman finally,  _ finally  _ began to feel himself drifting off. 

The next thing he knew, he was in a different room, a fuzzy feeling in his chest - Patton’s room - surrounded by blankets, arms wrapped tightly around him, head resting on a soft pillow. He drifted off again soon after that, feeling safe, warm,  _ happy.  _

He was okay. 


End file.
